How to make 360 degree videos of small objects

Here’s a quick and easy way to record a 360 degree turntable video. It does require some hardware, namely the Foldio turntable and lighting stage. You’ll also need a smartphone (or DSLR camera) and a phone tripod. All of this, excluding the smartphone costs approximately £170 in total.

The turntable uses Bluetooth and IR sensors to connect to your smartphone. Once you click the start button, the turntable rotates, takes photos and combines them to create a final 360 degree animation. The final animation can be exported as an animated image (GIF) or high res video to post on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Using the Foldio app, you can adjust the lighting and white out the backdrop. This eliminates the need for any post production, and looks great for rotating videos and still images.

You can also embed an interactive version of the rotating animation on your website. This allows the visitor to rotate the object by swiping, giving them full control of the angle of view. Click and drag (or swipe) to test out the interactive image below!

These techniques are currently popular with online stores advertising Jewelry and watches; as the final product images provide high engagement and return on sales. Equally, Arts Organisations should see high engagement and visitor interest using these methods.